


What Comes After?

by monroesherlock



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Coping, Gen, Grief, He's also good at giving them, Loss, M/M, Post-Civil War (Marvel), Pre-Slash, Sam also needs a hug, Steve Rogers is dead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-06-05 14:00:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6707098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monroesherlock/pseuds/monroesherlock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few snapshots into a world post-Civil War.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Comes After?

“You can stop checking in on me everyday. I’m not gonna snap and go on a killing spree.” Bucky stays on the  staircase, refuses to even let himself be seen.  
Sam pays him no mind as usual and continues laying out their take-out order on Bucky’s meager kitchen table. 

“I got extra dumplings to split." He says, "do you want beef or pork?”

“I don’t need a babysitter, Wilson.” Bucky snarl angrily. He's closer, his voice growing in volume.

“Good, I wasn’t offering. Beef or pork?” Sam pulls out his chair and takes a seat. “You know what? I’m taking pork since you want to be difficult.” 

Bucky finally shows himself then. He looks almost as bad as before they dragged him back into society, his hair shaggy and unwashed. He’s wearing the same clothes from yesterday and Sam wants to shake him. They've come so fucking far and this regression is killing him. 

It’s only been two weeks since the funeral. Already the apartment seems colder. Sam forgot how much room Steve took up, how much warmth he projected. 

 

He’s been over to check on Bucky every day since.

“You gonna wash your hands before dinner?” He says. He watches the man's hands clench and unclench, the whir and click of metal reaching his ears. Maybe Bucky will ignore him again. Sometimes he does that.

“You picky or something?” Bucky replies testily. 

“No, just don’t need you getting sick from something preventable. It’s common courtesy to wash your hands before you eat.” Sam snaps his chopsticks apart and digs in. 

“I’m not really feeling courteous.” Bucky yanks his chair own out and slumps down into it. 

Sam studies him for a moment before nodding and passing him a plate. It's probably gonna be one of those nights. “Well, go ahead and eat up. There’s plenty.”

Bucky’s never been one for much conversation anyway so Sam doesn't expect much.

  
It’s him who finally breaks the silence. “I’m thinking about Thai for tomorrow. Have you ever had that?”

Bucky barely slows his fork. “We’re not friends, Wilson. You don’t have to coddle me.”

Sam fights the urge to roll his eyes. That won't help the situation. “First, I made a promise to a mutual friend of our and I keep my promises. Just because he’s gone doesn’t mean that stops. Two: Never leave  man behind. I’m gonna have your back, man. Someone has to even if that means just making sure you have something hot to eat every day.”

Bucky’s squeezing his for so hard, it bends in his hand. He’s an adult. He’s been through worse. He’s been through worse. 

Has he though?

Wasn’t losing Steve always the worst thing that could happen? They never even got the chance to really reconnect and now he’s barely clinging to a civilian life with Wilson breathing down his neck to pull himself back together.

“I’m fine coping on my own.” He says.

“Well maybe I’m not. Maybe I need someone to eat with too.” Sam gives him a shrug. It's too easy of an out and but Bucky is more than willing to take it. 

It’s quiet again after that but maybe not as tense as before. 

“Thai’s fine.” Bucky eventually says. 

“I’ll make a note of it.”  


End file.
